COSTA SMERALDA, SARDINIA, ITALY (September 9, 2023) – Eight teams competed in the Maxi B Division at the 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, held in Porto Cervo, Italy, September 3-9. The Maxi B Division was comprised of five Maxi 72-77s, the 82ft Django HF and two VO65s.

Hap Fauth is a previous three time Rolex Mini Maxi/Maxi 72 World Championship winner, a title last won in 2016 and now regained in 2023. The current Bella Mente raced in 2019, but it was on this fourth attempt this year, with the latest updates of his 74ft maxi that Bella Mente returned to glory, with a three point lead of George Sakellaris’ Proteus and six points of Peter Harrison’s Pepe Cannonball.

“Our boat had great speed – the phenomenal boat compensated for my age!” said Fauth. “We come to this event every year and we work hard at it – it is the pinnacle of our season. The hospitality is fantastic and the sailing conditions are usually the best. I will keep coming for as long as I am above the ground! I have a great crew including Terry Hutchinson, Mike Sanderson, Adrian Stead, and Ian Moore who keep me from making too many mistakes.”

Tactician Terry Hutchinson said the result was vindication of the changes they had made to the boat since finishing third last year. “It was hard – because we felt we had sailed really well and it just wasn’t happening and we needed to figure out how to make it better. All our boat builders who got involved in the upgrades deserve credit. They delivered a nice reliable boat to us.”

Fauth added: “Once again, all systems are go for a fresh new 2024 season in the Med!”

Bella Mente will be racing in the 33rd edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with title sponsor Rolex and the International Maxi Association in Porto Cervo from September 3rd to 9th.

Bella Mente’s preparation in 2023 has stemmed around being successful at the 2023 Rolex Maxi World Championship. The approach has taken an aggressive look at our racing over the 21 and 22 seasons recognizing the strengths of our competition and balancing with the strengths and weaknesses of Bella Mente according to Tactician, Terry Hutchinson. To get Bella Mente to the spot she is today has been a monumental effort by the Bella Mente shore team. As we worked to learn and understand the changes through the Newport season we can see noticeable changes to Bella Mente’s performance. Lining up against the other Maxi’s will be a great test for the team. As we wait for the Mistral to lay down I know we are all anxious to get into the racing!

Nightly race reports will be posted to the Bella Mente Racing website

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Follow the Maxi 72 Class on the Class Website and Facebook

For race results, visit Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Media Pro Int’l, Barby MacGowan, barby.macgowan@mediapronewport.com, 401-849-0220 

NEWPORT, R.I. (July 21, 2022) – After winning the New York Yacht Club’s Annual Regatta in June, Bella Mente Racing stayed true to fine form and punctuated July with a victory at New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. The biennial race week, in its 13th edition, ran from Wednesday, July 13, to Saturday, July 16, and offered up spectacular sailing conditions and a variety of courses both “inside” on Narragansett Bay and “outside” on Rhode Island Sound. Bella Mente sailed in ORC A Class with only one other rival, the IRC 72 Vesper. (The Maxi 72 Proteus, which had planned to compete, did not do so in the end.)

“What made the regatta great was having Hap back onboard with his team,” said Bella Mente’s tactician Terry Hutchinson, explaining that Mike Sanderson stepped in to drive for owner/driver Hap Fauth at Annual Regatta. “He brings real energy to the program through his leadership and experience.”

Of the eight total races completed by ORC A, one was in light air; the rest were sailed in 8-12 knots.

“We did three races outside the first day; one race up the Bay in flat water the next day; Around Conanicut Island the third day; and three races again inside the Bay the fourth day,” said Hutchinson. “Our basic approach was to put emphasis every time on winning the first cross on the first leg. It makes it a whole lot easier for the rest of the race, especially when you are match racing a team like Vesper.”

Citing a score line of straight bullets, Sanderson added: “Given that we beat Vesper on the water in all but one race where they withdrew, we are very proud of the results…but first and foremost, we always judge our performance against what we know we are capable of as a team with our boat preparation, practice and execution on the racetrack. After St. Barths where we were so soundly beaten by Vesper in every race and the result was so frustrating, it has been great over these last two events to get back on track. We still, however, aren’t where we want or need to be for the Rolex Maxi Worlds at the beginning of September, so there is still a lot of work to do, and we will straight away get our heads together about what the next small steps of improvement are possible.”

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, serving as the Maxi Worlds, will be held in Port Cervo, Sardinia, Italy, September 2-10, 2022.

“We’re starting to find out Bella Mente’s capabilities!” said Fauth, who launched his Botin Partners-designed 72-footer in late 2018 and experienced setbacks to his team’s racing schedule, as many did, during the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s a new boat in many ways, and this week was a learning experience for our crew, so we are looking forward to the World Championships for more competition.”

With Fauth’s previous Bella Mente – a Judel/Vroliijk design – Bella Mente Racing captured the Mini Maxi World Championship in 2012 and the Maxi 72 Worlds in 2015 and 2016.

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For more information, visit https://bellamenteracing.com/. Follow Bella Mente Racing on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

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Hap Fauth and his team, onboard Bella Mente, are set to start at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2022 from Monday, September 5 – Saturday, September 10 (Lay Day on Thursday, September 8).

Follow the Team and the Regatta

Nightly race reports from Bella Mente will be posted on the website during racing. For more updates during practice and the regatta, follow the team on Facebook and Instagram, Hashtag: #BellaMenteRacing2022

For event updates visit Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and follow the regatta via social media on Facebook and Instagram.